Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Milwaukee, WI

April 18, 2002Columbia County, Sauk County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at Apr 18, 2002, 4:03 PM CDT for Columbia County, Sauk County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 27 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 18, 2002, 4:03 PM CDT (21:03 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 2002, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Columbia County, WI, Sauk County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:03 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 18, 4:09 PM CDTHail 1Portage, WI
Apr 18, 4:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61 EBaraboo, WI
Apr 18, 4:20 PM CDTHail 1Okee, WI
Apr 18, 4:33 PM CDTHail 1.75Merrimac, WI

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 18, 2:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 158 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 12:00Z on 2002-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 12:00Z on 2002-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 460 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1774 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
460 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
766 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS53 KMKX 182103
TORMKE
WIC021-111-182130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
403 PM CDT THU APR 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  COLUMBIA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  SAUK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 403 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM       
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PORTION OF THE  
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MERRIMAC...OR ABOUT 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF    
  LAKE WISCONSIN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  PORTAGE AT 415 PM CDT.
  WYOCENA AT 420 PM CDT.
  PARDEEVILLE AT 425 PM CDT.
  CAMBRIA AT 430 PM CDT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS

LAT...LON 4346 8976 4331 8963 4354 8903 4364 8933

ZAJDEL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 18, 7:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac, Sheboygan58 min
Apr 18, 7:25 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX65 min
Apr 18, 7:25 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX65 min
Apr 18, 2:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXIowa, Lafayette, Sauk57 min
Apr 18, 3:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXLafayette23 min
Apr 18, 3:21 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX24 min
Apr 18, 3:21 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX24 min
Apr 18, 3:29 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXLafayette31 min
Apr 18, 3:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXLafayette29 min
Apr 18, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXColumbia, Dane, Iowa, Sauk61 min
Apr 18, 3:57 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXGreen, Lafayette33 min
Apr 18, 4:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXColumbia, Sauk29 min
Apr 18, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXGreen, Rock60 min
Apr 18, 4:56 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXRock49 min
Apr 18, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMarquette31 min
Apr 18, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson, Rock, Walworth60 min
Apr 18, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDane43 min
Apr 18, 5:34 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX56 min
Apr 18, 5:34 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX56 min
Apr 18, 5:34 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX56 min
Apr 18, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDane, Jefferson35 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min
Apr 18, 6:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMKX57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.